As I write this, I have logged 11 transatlantic flights with children from 2 months old. Sometimes it was with one kid, sometimes all 3. Sometimes I was with my husband or mom, but most of the time I was solo. Flying with kids is stressful, that is certain, but hopefully these tips will help you plan ahead, pack well, and be equipped for the eventual delays, spills, and unending white noise. I will go through the stuff you need for flying with kids – strollers, carry ons, carseats, snacks, screens, headphones and games.
Check out my other articles if you are looking for more general tips for traveling with kids – timing of flights, jet lag & melatonin, road trips, travel with one kid vs multiple kids. Or if your kids are actually babies make sure to check out my top tips for flying with babies.
Strollers are always a YES
I have always flown with my stroller. Always. I don’t know at what age I will stop flying with it … maybe when my youngest is 4?
Flying with kids is not just flying, it is waiting in long lines, walking forever, riding trams to transfer, and then vacationing on the other side where having a stroller is usually needed!
I have a Babyzen Yoyo. It has survived 3 babies over 7 years now and it is still going strong. We have had to replace one wheel in that time – but I use it for running sometimes and on the sand/dirt so I think that was my bad. Like I said, I would never fly with kids, without my stroller.
One, two or three kids, I bring my stroller. If a kid isn’t sitting in it a backpack is.
That being said, one of my tips for flying with babies is to always bring a baby carrier. The first time I didn’t bring it was when I was alone with all three kids and my youngest was 21 months old. I thought about bringing it still, but decided I wouldn’t be able to leave my 3 and 6yr old alone in their seats if I wanted to go do my rocking-baby-to-sleep-in-the-carrier-while-listening-to-a-podcast-with-airpods-by-the-loo routine.
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Carry on configuration
Long after your child uses a stroller in real life, they may need somewhere to sit while traveling.
There are carry-on suitcases made for kids to sit and ride on – they can push with their feet or you can pull them behind you. The Trunki Ride-On and Stokke JetKids BedBox are popular.
When I only had one kid we would bring the “bed” part of the Stokke BedBox which is a little mattress. Now that space is so precious with multiple kids, we don’t use it and instead pack all of our airplane games in there so they are just at the kids feet the whole flight.
My kids now fight over the one we have. We have to take turns now, someone is the puller and someone rides on top.
Should I get another ride-on suitcase? I’ve considered it and maybe it will be useful when I am flying with the kids and my husband is there too. But when I travel solo, I like to be able to move everything we have by myself if needed and since I am not sacrificing my stroller I can only have one of these suitcases in my other hand.
This was my carry-on baggage situation for my solo transatlantic trip with 3 kids under 6.
All games need to fit in our Stokke JetKids suitcase which then stays at the kids feet during the flight. I pack all documents, clothes and diapers into a backpack diaper bag → for full details on what’s inside, read my tips for flying with babies.
All snacks go into a separate canvas bag that I can have at my feet during the flight. During travel it goes into the car seat bag or under the stroller.
Kids’ backpacks: a pain or a necessity?
For kids over 3yrs old I would recommend that they carry a backpack too. This can help even if they just carry their long sleeve shirt and headphones. You just need to remember that from around age 3 to 5 the backpack often ends up in your hands or under the stroller. That’s why for my solo trip with three kids she had to leave her backpack behind.
The gamechanger: A Foldable Car Seat
There is an 8lb car seat that folds up into a backpack, is FAA-approved and can be used for kids over 22lbs and 30 inches: The WAYB Pico Portable Car Seat. If your 1-2yr old meets the weight and height requirements this seat can change your life for a lap-infant. During this age your baby will be learning to walk and excited to explore the entire airplane, you will be thrilled to strap them in, for feeding and playing, even for little stretches of time, it makes all the difference.
Even if you don’t pay for a seat for your under 2 yr old (which I don’t) and the airline isn’t able to give you an extra seat the day of (which you shoudl always ask about) – you can pop this seat open and easily fit it in a three seater row next to your older child. Meaning you would have parent, car seat + baby, older child, other parent all side by side with the armrests up in a three seater row
You can never have too many snacks
I would sacrifice games in place of snacks if you are tight on space.
Yes, we eat all of the airplane food (except dinner on overnight flights – more on that below), and yes you need more snacks than you could ever imagine needing.
Think about foods that aren’t messy and take time to eat. If you are flying with kids on a long-haul flight – it will be long. I like dried fruit especially mangoes since they can be munched on for a while and aren’t too messy. Make sure to have an extra pack of wipes with you when seated too for sticky fingers.
I like to pack individual snack bags mixes for each kid. This lets them have control of what they eat – prioritizing the M&Ms or saving them for later – allows you to see how much they have eaten and avoids getting out tons of different bags for each snack. Make sure to get resealable snacks if they will not go into the individual snack bags.
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If there are certain things you want to limit or control, like sweets, pack them in an extra bag so you can distribute them fairly and on your timing. I pack an extra bag of cookies and lollipops so I can hand them out as rewards throughout the flight. The lollipops are also great for takeoff to help with ear’s popping!
One rule for flying with kids of any age is to say no to all airplane drinks. Tray tables are small, elbows get in the way easily and you do not want to deal with a wet shirt or pants for an entire long-haul flight because of a spilled drink. I broke my own rule (photo below), and paid the price just after snapping this pic.
We always bring our own water bottles – just make sure to loosen the top a bit during take off for cabin pressure so it doesn’t leak.
Screens & Headphones
Disregard your screen time rules in real life, because flying is not real life. There are no rules about limiting screen time when we are flying. Actually, it is the only time my kids ever use a tablet, but they can use it the entire travel day as far as I’m concerned.
→ In real life, since we don’t use tablets, but also go on road trips, we love the Lunii Storyteller. You can download tons of stories in multiple languages that the children can “build” themselves by choosing the character, the place, etc. My son has used his since he was 2 and now at age 6 is learning about science and space with the stories. For more on road trips, travel logistics, sleep, melatonin and jetlag, and adjustments for one or multiple kids you can check out this piece on traveling with kids.
“I don’t need a tablet, there are TVs on the plane for long-haul flights.”
True, but there is also the waiting time in the terminal, delays, and some fun games that you can download for your tablet. My 3yr old doesn’t like TV so much, and when she was 2 she didn’t want to watch it at all, but she can stay busy with drawing games on the tablet for hours. You also don’t know what will be on the airplane TV, and can download some favorite shows to make sure your kids have what they need.
In terms of headphones you want to make sure they can connect to the airplane TV and to any tablet you may bring with you, so make sure they are not bluetooth only. I got CozyPhones for my kids in case they fell asleep and to use in car seats where bulky headphones aren’t so comfortable. Read more on traveling with kids.
For a toddler or younger kids who maybe aren’t as into TV or independent, you can get headphones that have two inputs so that they can plug in and watch along with you or an older siblings. We have these Snug Play+ Headphones that are comfortable, adjustable and foldable – everything you need for flying with kids!
Games
This depends largely on how much your kids like TV/tablets. Ever since my oldest was 2 he could watch TV for 9 hours straight- and so he did on the airplane! My daughter is not the same and a toddler must be occupied, always.
Here is what we packed into our game bag- from the top around clockwise.
- Stickers and an erasable drawing tablet – these are great for kids from 2 to 4.
- Where’s Waldo book, dress-the-doll sticker book, little puzzles, magnetic travel snakes & ladders, headphones – these are suitable for a 3 to 4 yr old
- Tablet, headphones and Lunii – that’s all my son ever needed on the plane from age 3 up to 6.
Fidget toys, playdough, music books, stacking caterpillar cups, a toy car and bear, and a water drawing book (not pictured) for my 21 month old.
What games did they actually play with?
The stacking cups! These have been a hit for all of my kids around age 2. They also love the water drawing books. Just remember not to fill them up ahead of time because they can leak especially with the cabin pressure changes.
Verdict: Flying with kids is possible and can be fun
It can be daunting, especially your first time. But with some planning ahead on which flights to book and what you need to back traveling with kids is totally doable and flying with kids doesn’t have to be any worse than the general unavoidable stresses of flying – delays, long lines, and jetlag.
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